Steelers' promising start hit a speedbump in a mistake-filled loss at Indianapolis

PITTSBURGH — Mike Tomlin insists the Pittsburgh Steelers don't rely on a “rabbit's foot” to help them out when things get tight.

“We come out of those circumstances because of what we do, not some mystical thing,” Tomlin said last week.

And what the Steelers do when things are going right is avoid the kinds of mistakes that popped up far too frequently in a 27-24 loss to Indianapolis on Sunday.

The NFL's top-ranked defense got run over by Jonathan Taylor early and yielded late on a day it failed to produce a single turnover against an offense that had 39-year-old Joe Flacco at quarterback most of the game after Anthony Richardson left with a hip injury.

The offense gave it away twice — once on a fumble by George Pickens inside the Indianapolis 10, the other on a fumble by Justin Fields after he had sprinted 22 yards backward while trying to escape pressure — and saw its final drive essentially end when rookie center Zach Frazier snapped the ball to an unsuspecting Fields, leading to a 12-yard loss from which Pittsburgh (3-1) never recovered.

Fields owned up to the miscue, saying he was looking at the coverage when the ball smacked him in his leg. The Steelers were running on a silent count, an operation that requires Fields to pick his leg up as a signal to left guard Mason McCormick. McCormick then taps Frazier to snap it. In this case, Fields picked his leg up but had his eyes downfield and was unprepared to start the play.

“I’ve got to be ready for the ball, no matter when it’s going to come or not,” Fields said. "So yeah, it’s on me.”

Fields has said and in most cases done all the right things even as Tomlin keeps Wilson's name atop the depth chart while Wilson recovers from a calf injury that has been slow to heal. The 2021 first-round pick has two turnovers through four games and Fields' 367 total yards (312 passing, 55 rushing) against the Colts were the most by a Pittsburgh quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger threw for 380 yards and three scores in a loss to New Orleans in 2018.

Yet a winnable game got away not because the Steelers ran out of luck, but because of the kind of self-inflicted wounds they largely avoided during their 3-0 start.

It's just one loss, to be clear. Yet it also served as a reminder that Pittsburgh can't afford to get over its skis. While Tomlin admired the fight he saw after his team fell behind 17-0 and 24-7, it didn't matter in the end.

It wasn't mysticism that cost the Steelers, it was football 101.

“We were sloppy in a lot of ways,” Tomlin said. “You just don’t win football games versus motivated groups in their venue playing the way that we played today in certain instances.”

What's working

Throwing the ball anywhere in the vicinity of Pickens and seeing what happens. It's a testament to Pickens' talent, Fields' trust in him and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's play design that Pickens finds himself regularly in one-on-one coverage even though the rest of the receiving group — particularly Van Jefferson — has done next to nothing through the opening month.

What needs help

Getting push in the running game early. The Steelers are in the midst of a rebuild along the offensive line and while the club remains bullish on the future, there are very real growing pains in the present. The loss of right guard James Daniels to a serious leg injury means four of the top five linemen — Frazier, McCormick, Spencer Anderson and Broderick Jones — are in their first or second year in the league.

Stock up

Tight end Darnell Washington remains a work in progress as a pass catcher, but there have been significant signs of growth in his second season. The latest example came during a 20-yard catch-and-run on Sunday in which the 6-foot-7 264-pound Washington vaulted over a defender. With no one stepping up as a viable option beyond Pickens and Pat Freiermuth, maybe Washington becomes more of a option as the weeks go by.

Stock down

Najee Harris is a team-first player who puts winning above all else. Yet a month into his fourth season, Harris is averaging 3.4 yards per carry. While the blocking in front of him is spotty, backups Cordarrelle Patterson (5.8) and Jaylen Warren (3.9) are having more success behind the same line.

Injuries

The 33-year-old Patterson was in the process of being the effective (and seemingly ageless) changeup when he went down in the second quarter with an ankle injury. With Warren already dealing with a knee issue, the depth behind Harris is being tested. ... While Daniels is out perhaps for the season, there's a strong possibility veteran left guard Isaac Seumalo will return Sunday after missing a month with a pectoral injury. ... Wilson did more in practice last week than the week before, but expect the Steelers to continue to bring him along slowly.

Key number

43-21 — Tomlin's head coaching record in October. Considering the potentially daunting closing stretch the Steelers face, they will need to take advantage of four straight games — including three at night at home — against teams that are currently .500 or below.

Next steps

Try to avoid “kicking our own butt” as Tomlin put it when the Cowboys (2-2) visit Acrisure Stadium on Sunday night.